Notes on protected and threatened plants in Castilla y León (North-West Spain)

. We provide new records and notes on 25 protected and/or threatened vascular plant species in Castilla y León. Some of them illustrate not only new findings but also an interesting expansion of their geographic range. Eight taxa are reported for the first time in some provinces, while eleven of them were two or three times previously reported.


Introduction
Plant conservation and conservation policies needed for in-depth knowledge of plant populations across their distribution territories, sometimes broad, sometimes narrow. Due to human practices, it is also desirable to revisit or maintain some resampling in those territories that could be affected for such practices or contrarily in abandoned lands that are recovering. This research tried to broaden the scope of data collection efforts but also to include new information as a follow-up of previous papers (Egido et al., 2012a(Egido et al., , 2012b(Egido et al., , 2017 focusing on threatened or protected flora. In summary, new information on 25 vascular plants is provided herein. Most taxa are included in the Plant Protection Regulation of Castilla y León (Anon., 2007a(Anon., , 2015, either in the Threatened Plants Index of Castilla y León (henceforth CEACL) or the Priority Attention Plants Inventory of Castilla y León (henceforth IEAPCL). Some of them are also included in the Vascular Plants Red List (henceforth LRFVE) (Moreno, 2008(Moreno, , 2010 or in national protection laws (Anon., 2011), either in the Spanish Threatened Species Index (henceforth CEEA) or in the Wild Species under Special Protection Index (henceforth LESRPE). Lastly, some of them are also protected by European laws, specifically by the Habitats Directive (Anon., 1992), which was transferred to the Spanish legislation by the Law 42/2007 of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity (Anon., 2007b). We strongly support the incorporation of Leucanthemum maximum (Ramond) DC.
-not included in any of the protection laws above mentioned-in the IEAPCL.
Records are based both on collections by the authors and field observations. Whenever the state of the population allowed the gathering of a few specimens, we deposited them in the Herbarium of the University of León (LEB) or the Herbarium of the University of Salamanca (SALA). The following data provided for each record is locality (municipality, the nearest town, and place name), 1×1 km UTM grid square, elevation (m asl), ecology, collection data, collector names and registration code in LEB or SALA. Information provided in the label for those voucher specimens not collected by any of us is also included. The list of species is organized in alphabetical order.

SHORT NOTES
Rodríguez, LEB 121894; Villota del Páramo, Cueza del Navazo Stream, 30TUN473132, temporary stream over clays with siliceous river gravel, 998 m asl, 25.08.2018, A. Rodríguez, LEB 121887. It is the first record for the Palencia province. This Iberian endemism is included as 'Vulnerable' both in CEACL and LRFVE. These new populations are located in the center-north limit of its distribution. The nearest localities are found in Burgos (Aedo, 2011). This plant is similar to Allium schoenoprassum, which is very abundant in the nearby mountain territories.

Cerastium dubium (Bast.) Guepin
Valladolid: La Zarza, La Veguilla, 30TUL5068, subhalophilous annual grassland and Juncus maritimus community, 747 m asl, 27.04.2015, P. Bariego & F. del Egido, LEB 116204. First record for the Valladolid province. This annual species is scarcely distributed in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The unique localities are known in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula was registered at the Duero basin: Ávila and Salamanca (Nogueira & Rico, 1990). The taxon is included in IEAPCL and in LRFVE (as 'Near Threatened').  Bariego, PB 4004, LEB 123504. Two new records are to be added to the two locations already known in the province: Nuez de Aliste, in the Manzanas River basin (Rico et al., 1992) and Ribadelago, very close to the second listed above (Aedo et al., 1993). This is a very rare species in the province, included in IEAPCL, and living in very vulnerable habitats. Its populations are formed by few individuals, so its conservation deserves special attention.
The revision of the herbarium material of Epipactis in LEB revealed the existence of this specimen, which had been collected 40 years ago and originally identified as E. helleborine. The present record is the second one in León. It has been recently reported for the first time (Egido et al., 2017) in the same river, but in a different locality (Villafer). This species is included in IEAPCL. E. viviparum is a very rare plant included in CEACL (as 'Vulnerable'), LRFVE (as 'Endangered'), LESRPE, and annex II (as 'Priority') and annex IV of the Habitats Directive. It was recently separated into two subspecies based on morphological data (Romero & Real, 2014). E. viviparum subsp. bariegoi is endemic of the Mediterranean areas of the North-Western Iberian Peninsula, with most of its populations in Castilla y León (León, Palencia, and Zamora).

Eryngium viviparum subsp. bariegoi Romero & Real
It is known from two localities close to each other: Chozas de Arriba and Villadangos del Páramo in León (Romero & Real, 2014). The new record extends its distribution range to the east part of the province, on the border with Palencia.
The taxon had only been reported in Mantinos, Palencia (Rodríguez et al., 2015), and four new records are provided here, extending the provincial distribution area southwards and eastwards.
Lastly, although this endangered species is well known in Zamora, as most of its populations are located in this province (Romero & Real, 2014;Bariego, 2015), a new record is provided herein. Iberian endemism, included in IEAPCL, with restricted distribution (north and central Iberian Peninsula). Two new records are provided in León province, northwards from previous localities: Vegaquemada (Lugán and Mata de la Riba; Aedo et al., 1993) and Cistierna (Ocejo de la Peña and Valmartino; Alonso Redondo et al., 1999). We also add a new record in Palencia, although it was firstly cited for Las Tuerces Natural Area (Pomar de Valdavia; Álvarez et al., 2014).

Inula langeana
This species was collected for the first time in Valladolid (Olmedo) by Gutiérrez in 1903 (Pau, 1904; sub Inula gutierrezii Pau). The species was not located again until a century later. The records provided herein and the citation of Lázaro Bello (2006) Alejandre et al., 2006) and in Picos de Europa (six localities in Asturias and Cantabria; Acedo et al, 2011;Alonso Felpete et al., 2011). This taxon is not currently included in LRFVE or any other protection law. Considering its rarity and restricted distribution in Castilla y León, we consider that it should be included, at least, in IEAPCL. The species is also considered 'rare' in the Aragonese Pyrenees (Villar et al., 1997) and 'very rare' in the Navarre Pyrenees and Basque Mountains (Aizpuru et al., 1999); it is more frequent in the French Pyrenees (Villar et al., 1997;Vogt, 1991).
This taxon is included in IEAPCL and it is very rare in León (only a few locations near of Caín; Alonso Felpete et al., 2011). Several records, also from Valdeón Valley, not far from the previously known locations, are added in this paper. Molina & Velasco (1981) reported the presence of this species in Riaño, but this record still requires confirmation because it has not been located again. New record of this species in the province of León. It is included in IEAPCL. All previous records (compiled in Castro, 2017) are restricted to the southeastern and central part of León, except from an old one in the Lake of Isoba (Allorge & Allorge, 1941), where it was seen at the late 1980s (information from one of the referees).
Only a previous record of this taxon, included in IEAPCL, had been traced in Zamora: El Retorno, Santa Marta del Tera (Navarro et al., 1992). We provide four new localities, all of them in the Tera river.
We have found the first record in Segovia and an additional in Zamora. Regarding its autoecology, in Zamora appears on the saline wetlands complex of Villafáfila (abundant and widespread) while in the rest it forms part of typical (dry or flooded) grasslands in seasonal or permanent ponds (Fernández et al., 1987;García Río & Navarro, 1994). This new locality extends its distribution southwards.

Salsola soda L.
Palencia: Fuentes de Nava, La Nava pond, La Porretera, 30TUM552594, halophilous terophyte communities on temporary wet areas, 741 m asl, 10.08.2018, A. Rodríguez, LEB 121880. First record of this species in Palencia. It is included in the IEAPCL. We have found only a few individuals, that we interpreted as an initial stage of pond colonization, being the nearest localities in Zamora (Villafáfila, Ladero et al., 1984).

Senecio carpetanus Boiss. & Reut.
León: Izagre, Albires, Reguera de Corrales Stream, 30TUM 0979, Holoschoenus vulgaris, Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. subtriflora and Brachypodium phoenicoidis moist pastures, 820 m asl, 25.07.2017, F. del Egido, LEB 121401. Iberian endemism included in IEAPCL. Only a few localities are known in Leon: Candanedo de Fenar and La Valcueva (Egido et al., 2007), in the southern foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains. We provide here a new record which extends its range south-eastwards, in the limit with Valladolid province. Annual halophilous species widely distributed in central and western areas of the Mediterranean Region. In the Iberian Peninsula, this distribution is restricted to coastal areas and, more scarcely, throughout inland salt marshes. The records provided are the only known in Castilla y León. It is included in the IEAPCL. We provide the first record of this taxon in Valladolid.

Succisella carvalhoana (Mariz) Baksay
Zamora: Mayalde, Barranco de la Degollada, 30TTL6468, wet grasslands, 900 m asl, 11.09.2011, P. Bariego, PB 3720, LEB 123503. Mayalde, Barranco de los Jarales de la Fraila, 30TTL6369, wet grasslands, 890 m asl, 11.09.2011, P. Bariego, PB 3717, LEB 123502. Endemism with a restricted distribution in central and western areas of the Iberian Peninsula, where shows a limited number of populations (Amich & Bernardos, 2006). It is classified as 'Vulnerable' in CEACL and LRFVE. Two populations were identified in Zamora (northern limit;Giráldez, 1986;Amich et al., 2004), one in Mayalde -probably one of the most important for conservation purposes-and the second one in El Cubo de Tierra del Vino, probably disappeared (Amich & Bernardos, 2006). We consider the new population of the Barranco de la Degollada (with a remarkable population size), as a subpopulation of that of Barranco de los Jarales de la Fraila (Amich et al., 2004) because of closeness. It is a highly threatened plant in Zamora due to the alteration of the habitat (draining and overgrazing).

Tanacetum vahlii DC.
Palencia: Baltanás, El Monte, Boca del Valle, 30TVM0440, humid depression on rushy pasture edge, next to a track, 906 m asl, 24.06.2015, A. Rodríguez, LEB 121508. First record of this rare species in Palencia. It is included in IEAPCL. Until now, it was considered endemism of the Iberian System (Rico et al., 1991), and the nearest population is that of Burgos, 50 km away. The size of the population is small but shows a good conservation state favored by its inaccessibility. The specimens grow in a humid depression at the head of the Fuentelacasa stream, in a large and well preserved Quercus rotundifolia forest. It is located about 250 m from the Cañada Real Burgalesa, a traditional route connecting northern and western areas of Spain to move cattle during the year; the presence of this species could be related to the eventual dispersal of seeds by transhumant sheeps and goats.